Photo by Louis Roche
A huge thanks to the wonderful June Jones from Two Steps on the Water who made us this mixtape. Two Steps on the Water headline our launch party this Saturday 11 June, along with Jessica Says and Pillow Pro, celebrating our thirtieth issue and all the wonderful contributers inside. Get your ticket now.
1. The Mountain Goats – The Water Song The Mountain Goats are probably my favourite band and until today I had never heard this song. John Darnielle is great and even listened to our single when I tweeted it at him last week. Wild. “Let them kill me / Let them kill me / Let them kill me / Let them kill me.”
2. Dyke Drama – Crying In A Bathroom Stall Dyke Drama is the pop punk side project of Sadie Switchblade, frontwoman of G.L.O.S.S. who rule incredibly hard, obviously. This song is beautiful and catchy. Trans femme-fronted punk 4eva.
3. AhMerAhSu – Boom Crash Bang Clang AhMerAhSu is a California-based electronic pop artist whose live performances are just as beautiful and powerful as her recorded work. There is talk about fundraising to get her here as an international headliner of TRANSGENRE 2017.
4. Kev Carmody – River Of Tears Kev Carmody is an amazing songwriter and storyteller whose work tackles both the personal and political, as well as the points at which the two intersect for an Aboriginal person living under white supremacist colonial occupation. Fuck the Hottest 100.
5. Chelsea Bleach – Public Safety The first time we played with Chelsea Bleach was at their residency upstairs at the Tote. They played a great garage punk cover of “All The Things She Said” by t.A.T.u. This one is a great song about the experience of feeling like your body is considered public property by men. CB are playing the first week of our Tuesdays in June Gasometer residency on the 7th.
6. Sarah Mary Chadwick – Aquarius / Gemini When I met SMC I told her that I used to cut out the Batrider artwork I found in Beat Magazine back in 2005 and stick it up in my teenage bedroom and she probably thought I was a weirdo. I’m always in love with her music. Kinda sad and very beautiful, fuck me up. She’s playing the residency on the 14th.
7. kt spit – angels again kt spit is a DIY art pop badass phenomenon whose 2015 album “combluotion” gave me feelings all the way down to my bones’ bones. She is powerful and intelligent and I cannot wait to hear what she puts out next. This song gives me goose pimples.
8. Kira Puru & the Bruise – Crest of the Wave ft. Post Paint KP and I follow each other and have only really spoken on Instagram. It’s a bit cute. I’ve known her music for a few years but I haven’t seen her play live yet. If the YouTube videos are anything to go by I can tell that her performance, alongside kt’s, on the 21st, is going to be killer.
9. Spike Fuck – Guts Spike played our EP launch back in January (alongside the amazing Jessica Says and Divide & Dissolve) and must have had 150 people watching her at 7.30pm on a Tuesday. She is an incredible lyricist, performer, and gesticulator. Her style is reminiscent of so many classics but it is unlike anything else as far as I’m concerned. “It’s only the body that dies / And you know it’s only because of the night time.”
10. Aye Nako – Molasses I first heard Aye Nako some time last year, coming across them through Don Giovanni Records label-mates (and actual mates I think) Little Waist. They are the cream of the seemingly expansive crop of trans person-fronted queercore pop punk coming out of New York City right now. Just listen to the song, it’s very good.
11. Katie Dey – Hope Reset Katie Dey, who are you? I ask myself this once a fortnight, but make no attempt to figure out the answer to the question. Let’s settle with: Katie Dey makes soul tingling limit-broken pop in (I think) her bedroom and enjoys making June Jones anxiously await new recordings and maybe even a live show but hey no pressure Katie ;~)
12. Ashby and the Oceanns – Dead Artist This song is from an album I have had on repeat for a few weeks now. It’s called Life Arcade and it is expansive, personal, and full of catchy hooks. I like this song as the closer to the mix, echoing something similar to the first song’s sentiments. I mean, we’re all gonna die one day. Oh, and BTW this was a mix of songs about WATER, couldn’t you tell?
Two Steps on the Water headline our launch party for TLB30 this Saturday 11 June at Hugs and Kisses. To save time on the night, pre-book your ticket here and register with Hugs & Kisses.